Mavs don't beat themselves

When Nick Doscher took over the Moore Catholic baseball program in 1998, the Mavericks were a team without an identity.

Within a few years, the mind-set at Moore was transformed -- reflected not only in a much-improved record, but in the style of ball that was played. The expressions "hard-nosed" and "blue-collar" are often overused at times, but they certainly apply in this case.

This decade, that style has evolved into something very rare at any level of sports, never mind in high school. Moore baseball has become a brand name ... the Doscher Label, if you will.

It was evident in the 2002 squad that turned a 6-6 Island regular season into a berth in the city championship game. Three years later, the Mavs won it all following a 16-0 regular season and an overall record of 21-1. (And it was certainly evident in his Mid-Island club that reached the Little League World Series a few years back.)

This season's team is 12-0 following Thursday's 12-3 win over St. Joseph by-the-Sea. You can argue as to which Moore squad is the most talented of the bunch, but there's one common denominator that links every Doscher team this decade: They don't beat themselves.

I'm not just talking about how Moore doesn't boot the ball around like a lot of other teams. It's more than that.

They hit the cut-off man. They hit behind the runner and almost always sacrifice successfully when called upon to do so. They don't run themselves out of innings with indecisiveness on the basepaths.

But it transcends the fundamentals. The Mavericks have the knack of rising to the occasion. You never sense any panic in the players -- an inner confidence they get from their coach -- during those rare times when they're in a close game or trailing late.

That calmness not only acts as a positive for Moore, but it's quite disconcerting to the opposition. The Mavs don't seem to press when in a tough spot. You don't usually see their hitters lunging at the plate and being overanxious, or their pitchers losing control and walking in a run.

That kind of business-like cool, that kind of flawlessness of execution, puts an incredible amount of pressure on the club in the opposite dugout.

"You have to bring your 'A' game when you play them," said Sea coach Gordon Rugg after Thursday's loss. "You have to play an almost perfect game to beat them."

It'll be interesting to see what happens on Saturday when the Mavs host Don Bosco Prep of New Jersey, the third-ranked team in the country according to USA Today. The team, and Doscher, seem more concerned with keeping their CHSAA record intact rather than worrying about a non-league blemish. At least that's the tone they were taking after Thursday's victory.

Still, when the first batter steps into the box on Saturday, the competitive juices will start to flow. Regardless of what the score is, you can expect one thing: The Mavs won't beat themselves.